Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa claims that Kurdish forces are now part of the Syrian army and that Kurdish groups should hand over areas in Dayr al-Zawr (Deir Ezzor) and Raqqa.
The move on Sunday came after a deal was reached with the SDF commander, Mazloum Abdi. Abdi and al-Sharaa were supposed to formally meet to sign the deal, but the meeting was postponed until Monday due to weather conditions.
However, the Kurdish leader in Syria confirmed remotely that he approved the agreement:
"To avoid this war leading to a new civil war, we have agreed to withdraw from the Dayr al-Zawr and Raqqa regions to Hasakeh," Abdi said in a statement broadcast by the Kurdish television channel Ronahi.
Abdi added that he will explain the deal in more detail when he returns from Damascus.
To retreat
Transitional President al-Sharaa's statements signaled military successes for the Syrian army after several days of military offensives against Kurdish SDF strongholds in the Aleppo region and Raqqa. Kurdish forces have retreated from areas they had controlled for over a decade.
Late Saturday, the Syrian army also captured the military airport in al-Tabqa. The SDF captured al-Tabqa in 2017 when the Islamic State (ISIS) was defeated and driven out of the area.
Sunday's statement calling for a ceasefire came at the same time as al-Sharaa claimed that Damascus now controls all of Syria.
Hand over control
The president also said, in connection with a conversation with US envoy Tom Barrack, that Kurdish groups should be given administrative control over areas in Deir Ezzor and Raqqa.
The agreement reportedly consists of 14 points, including the integration of the SDF and Kurdish security forces into the country's defense and interior ministries.
In addition, Kurds are to hand over administrative control of the areas of Dayr al-Zawr and Raqqa.
The agreement came about after US envoy Barrack met with SDF commander Abdi in Erbil, Iraq, on Saturday.
The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) has included Syrian and Arab fighters who previously participated in battles against the Islamic State (IS) during the civil war in Syria. The US has supported the SDF.
"This agreement and a ceasefire represent a crucial turning point for Syria. Former enemies are embracing a partnership rather than seeking division," Barrack wrote on X.
